Down Wing Bullet Head Parachute

Here's the how to from the Mother's Day Caddis thread.

Start the thread and where you want the hackle to be tie in a length of strong mono, I've used 12lb mono.Tie in the tip along the hook shank leaving the bulk of the wire forward over the eye.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...0_edited-1.jpg

Dub the body back to the point you tied the mono in at.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...1_edited-1.jpg

Then, with dubbed thread, figure of eight the mono to your side of the hook shank so it forms a loop above the shank and lies vertical with the unattached end pointing down.

Tie in the wing.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...4_edited-1.jpg

Dub over the base of the wing back to the mono loop.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...5_edited-1.jpg

Form a parachute hackle around the base of the mono loop.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...6_edited-1.jpg

Trim out a few of the fibres at the front of the hackle. It is impossible to split the hackle evenly when you bring the wing back over so best to get them out of the way now.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...7_edited-1.jpg

Tie off the parachute hackle and whip finish under the hackle around the mono loop. Catch the wing in the mono loop and start to pull on the loose end of the mono.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...8_edited-1.jpg

Keep pulling until the wing is held down on top of the hackle tightly.

Heat your bodkin in a flame. Touch the mono where it emerges from the body with the hot needle. Pull on the loose end at the same time. This will melt the loose end off. Melting it off makes for more security than cutting it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...0_edited-1.jpg

If you wish you can put a tiny drop of CA Glue on the mono above the wing, and where you melted it off.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...1_edited-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...3_edited-1.jpg

You can use whatever material you like for the wing and body. For clarity I've used a large hook for this one. You can tie it in whatever size you like. That is also why I have used black thread, normally I would use tan.

Cheers,
Alan

That qualifies as one of the most creative, innovative approaches I've seen in fly design and tying.

Tip of the hat, Alan !!

John

Alan has a remarkable method there for that pattern. It got me thinking whether or not others tie parachutes as I do. This in no way is meant to suggest that what I am explaining is of any importance, but it just might make tying parachutes easier for others.

I tie the body. Then, make a loop over the gallows tool. I tie the stem of the hackle at the base of the thread loop. I finish the body. Then, I wrap the hackle around the thread loop and tie the hackle off at the eye.

Then, I cut the top of the loop thread so that it forms two threads. I then just tie either an overhand knot tied down at the hackle or a slip know and tighten it down on the top of the hackle.

Because it is tying thread, it is not even noticeable and very light.


Just thought I would mention this method in case it makes tying easier for others.

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/...h/IMG_3021.jpg

Thanks for the comments, it has been floating around the back of my mind for some years. Several years ago I was tying a Hawthorn fly from foam. The detached abdomen and thorax cover being made from one piece of foam. The hackle was wound over the hook shank and trimmed to and bottom before taking the foam over. Charles Jardine was watching and suggested that a parachute hackle wound around the foam for the thorax cover rather than the hook shank would make the pattern sit lower in the surface.

That got me thinking about using the same technique on Philip White's Bullet Head Resting Caddis. Just couldn't think of a way to tie it... Until now.

I'll post photos of those flies later (the day job starts in 1/2 hour, and I'm not getting involved in tying before 6am).

Cheers,
C.

This was the process to get to the tying technique above.
This is the Hawthorn fly as I originally tied it. The abdomen and thorax cover are from one strip of foam, rounded off with a flame, then rolled in your fingers to make it round. If you get it too hot you'll know by the sound you make!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...4_edited-1.jpg
At Charles Jardine's suggestion I changed it to a parachute hackle. Then it sits lower in the surface.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...5_edited-1.jpg
Having got that far I thought that this pattern, Philip White's resting caddis, would benefit from sitting lower in the water, but how to achieve it?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...7_edited-1.jpg
pittendrigh's post on Mothers Day Caddis gave me the kick up the rear I needed to crack the problem.
Cheers,
A.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AlanB

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...1_edited-1.jpg

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I don't know what the original problem was but looking at the fly above I know of a similar looking fly that is simpler to tie. Would a caddis tied paraloop style also suffice?

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...s/P1240013.jpg

Alan -

I forgot to add a note of thanks in my earlier post.

It's always nice to see someone advancing the art / mechanics / techniques of fly tying.

It's also nice to see someone contributing a new idea after seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.

John

P.S. I'll probably get a headache trying to figure out on what flies I can experiment with this technique, but that's okay.

Silver, I tried with the paraloop, my results didn't sit any lower. The horizontal hackle still pointed down, lifting the fly.

John, The search for a better "mouse trap" goes on. It is strange. I'll puzzle over problem sometimes for years. Then something just clicks and the answer comes together. The same thing happened with the tying of my ByColour nymph. Five years of looking for a way to get a nymph with different dorsal and ventral colours, without weaving or using marker pens. Then the idea just clicked when tying bead heads with the bead in the thorax. It lead to a new way of tying a PTN. My progress is always in fits and starts.

Cheers,
A.

Alan,
That's officially "Cool".

Thanks,
Ed

P.S. If you see Cleggie in the Lino Dept. at the Co-op, say, "Hello" to him for me.
:)

Ed